by Gary Mintchell | Apr 27, 2021 | Personal Development
That was a popular ad phrase in the mid-80s. It referenced the quality of the digital recording on cassette tapes. (Pre-CDs and pre-streaming.) Given the devolution of social media in the past few years, these days we ask, “Is it real, or is it AI?”
I got this cute and thought provoking website from a PR agency. I told her it looked as if people were not all that observant. But, that would have been unfair to people. Some images were impossible to tell. Try it and let me know. Then think before you leap on stuff you see on social media.
As Artificial Intelligence is one of the latest trends that advances so rapidly, we decided to conduct the experiment to see if internet users are able to recognize photos, artworks, music, and texts created by AI.
I believe these results will be fascinating and shocking also for your readers! Here you can find the whole data-based article:
Can you tell the difference between human and AI?
The significant findings of our Human vs. AI Test were surprising:
- In some survey groups, as many as 87% of respondents mistook an AI-generated image for a real photo of a person.
- Two-thirds of people who think they would recognize a chatbot struggle with identifying AI-generated texts.
- About 24% of male and only 17% of female respondents made less than 3 mistakes when judging photos.
- Interestingly, more than 37% of respondents who declared as non-binary made less than 3 mistakes when judging photos (out of 7 examples).
- The most crucial factor in the test score was familiarity with AI technology.
by Gary Mintchell | Apr 26, 2021 | Automation, Robots
This conversation came to me from the Hannover Messe Digital Event. It’s rather interesting in that these people market robotic solutions. They think, however, that sometimes (often?) companies implement high-end and sophisticated automation and robotics that are often too complicated to be used. So, they are turned off. I learned first-hand as a provider of automation technology when the user/operator does not understand or even fears the technology or when the user interface is too complicated then the system will be turned off and manual operations will be used.
These comments are worth considering when planning new projects.
Manufacturers in Europe struggle with new automation and robotisation solutions as the technologies they deploy do not provide the desired return on investment and often end up standing idle. Torsten Christensen, partner and co-founder at ChangeForce, a Danish industrial consultancy firm, states that this could be changed by shifting focus towards standardised robots in-house employees would be capable of tuning.
“Europe, as well as the rest of the world, is heading to a new record of operational industrial robot stock in 2020, but these raw numbers tell only one half of the story. In reality, I think the industrial robotics industry is experiencing something we witnessed some 20-25 years ago in the dot-com era: lots of hype coupled with a low return on investment, heavy reliance on third-party integrators and, quite often, complex machines not returning the expected value. I believe European manufacturers, first and foremost the SMEs, should take one step back and rethink their robotisation strategies to avoid even larger disappointments,” T. Christensen says.
He is seconded by Thomas Ronlev, the CEO at Factobotics, a Danish-Lithuanian maker of standard industrial robots, presenting RoboBend, the world’s first standard sheet metal bending robot, and Flexy-Weld, a unique flexible robot welding solution, at Hannover Messe Digital Edition this week.
Th. Ronlev says that the risk of robotisation failures further exacerbated by a very high current robotic solutions cost. His company aims at traditional industrial processes and custom situations that can be scalable across a broader array of manufacturers.
“European manufacturers often believe their production processes are unique. They are also often convinced that entire production and supply chains be automated. I think that truth is much more down to earth: some processes are indeed ripe for automation, but not all of them, let alone at once. We would see a much higher degree of satisfaction if companies started from simple processes and standard robotic solutions that come at a fraction of the cost and are easy to master. Some of the most successful factories use relatively simple robotics,” Th. Ronlev says.
Factobotics has been demonstrating its solutions tackling these challenges at HM Digital Edition this week. RoboBend robot solves the problem of finding qualified machine operators, provides higher capacity on the company’s present machines, lowers production costs and consistently delivers high quality. RoboBend is designed to make it simple to use at any production environment, for any worker with no special training.
The company has also been demonstrating Flexy-Weld, a unique flexible robot welding solution that is currently in development and field-testing phase in Lithuanian metal processing company LT Technologies. This solution, based on an innovative flexible hexapod technology FlexHex that adapts to any new piece and holds it in place for welding, completely eliminates the need for jigs/fixtures. Flexy-Weld also dramatically increases flexibility and agility of production, eliminates the need for hundreds of different jigs/fixtures (warehousing, time waste), therefore increasing capacity and productivity, saving time and increasing earnings.. Attached are a few pictures, too.
by Gary Mintchell | Apr 26, 2021 | Business, Education, News
This post contains a challenge for us all. I know that many companies, perhaps most, have a corporate responsibility leader and participates in some beneficial activities beyond the merely self-serving gifts. NI (formerly National Instruments) has had a vision for the advancement of engineering and public good for as long as I’ve known it. Current CEO Eric Starkloff is building on the legacy of co-founder and retired CEO Jim Truchard leading by example.
I received this “Note from NI” the other day. It is powerful enough that I thought I’d share. Perhaps we can all gain some insights and spur our innovative nature from these ideas.
Engineering Hope for a Better World
In 2020 we made our mission clear: empower engineers to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges. And while we’ve always been quietly but diligently dedicated corporate citizens, we’re facing many challenges as a society, from climate change to racial and economic inequality. And the time to be bold is now. This is why we’ve launched Engineering Hope, our 2030 Corporate Impact Strategy.
Our aspirational 2030 impact goals and commitments outline how NI will put our company, people, and products to work to make a positive impact on society and our planet. Simply put, it outlines how we’ll drive the positive change we want to see in the world – engineering can, and should, play a pivotal role in addressing the biggest challenges we collectively face today. We designed our Impact Strategy to be iterative and to scale with our business and industry. Some are moonshot goals that will challenge us to think well beyond current paradigms. And all are informed by the priorities of our stakeholders, a thorough analysis of which issues are material to our business, and the realities we see in the marketplace. We’ll work diligently to achieve our goals by 2030 and will transparently report our progress each year. As our CEO Eric Starkloff says, “if we can send rockets into space, we can achieve Zero Waste.”
What We’ve Been Up To
We got to work right out of the gate in 2021. In the first quarter, we joined OpenRF to help tackle 5G ecosystem interoperability issues and partnered with MaxLinear to simplify validation of wideband power amplifiers. In alignment with our Engineering Hope 2030 Corporate Impact Strategy goals, we partnered with Project Lead the Way to increase access to STEM education, worked with the Texas Rocket Engineering Lab at the University of Texas to prepare students for future space flight, and collaborated with Code2College to help build equitable pathways to STEM careers. The mentoring and hands-on internship component of the program directly addresses systemic underrepresentation in STEM professions. A recent study that surveyed over 550 engineering and computer science students found a key driver of the gender pay gaps is associated with self-efficacy or a confidence gap. Researchers highlighted the importance of mentoring and internships to strengthen students’ self-assessments and provide stronger bridges to engineering jobs with higher pay. Programs like Code2College help students discover their potential and the limitless opportunities that exist in STEM fields.
Check out the links below for a few more details on what we worked on over the last few months:
- We joined OpenRF and will chair the OpenRF Compliance Working Group to address interoperability issues facing the 5G ecosystem.
- We worked with the Texas Rocket Engineering Lab at the University of Texas to prepare students for a new era of human spaceflight through hands-on projects in rocketry and aerospace.
- We partnered with MaxLinear to simplify the validation of wideband power amplifiers for 5G networks.
- We announced a 10-year strategy, Engineering Hope, aimed at advancing diversity, sustainability, and equity in engineering.
- We partnered with Project Lead the Way to increase access to STEM education in underrepresented and underserved students in Central Texas.
- We collaborated with Code2College on their work to develop a pipeline of diverse tech talent.
At NI, we believe Engineering Ambitiously and Engineering Hope go hand-in-hand. And our 2030 Corporate Impact Strategy goals reflect as much. Through our commitment to our Impact Strategy, we are putting our company, people, and products to work to positively impact our society and planet — a commitment we do not take lightly. We voluntarily set goals informed by the priorities of our stakeholders, that reflect the realities we see in the marketplace, and represent a thorough analysis of the issues material to our business.
We are dedicated to achieving our goals by 2030 and will transparently report our progress each year. Through our partnerships with suppliers, customers, governments, industry, and non-governmental organizations, we’ll harness the power of NI’s operations philanthropy to focus on three pillars of impact:
- Changing the faces of engineering. Building a diverse and inclusive workforce is the right thing to do for NI, our industry, and society. But the diversity of the engineering talent pipeline hasn’t changed much in the last 20 years. In fact, the global technology sector is projected to have a shortage of 4.3 million workers by 2030. Attracting more diverse people to our industry helps us keep up with this growth while providing more equitable access to high-paying jobs. We’ll work towards this vision by increasing our workforce diversity and supporting aspiring engineers through STEM education initiatives, expanded recruitment strategies, and talent acquisition and diversity leadership programs.
- Building an equitable and thriving society. Over time, inequalities in our systems and institutions decrease the well-being of our entire society. We envision a thriving society with fewer economic, racial, and gender inequalities and greater wellbeing and prosperity for all. Our work will begin within NI by cultivating an equitable and thriving workforce through total rewards redesigns, wellbeing programs, and ongoing employee engagement initiatives. We’ll also advance diversity within our own supply chain, and by changing the faces of engineering, we’ll increase access to higher-paying technology.
- Engineering a healthy planet. Healthy and biodiverse ecosystems are critical to human wellbeing. We envision a world where industries and governments work together to protect and repair ecosystems and stabilize our climate by mitigating rising temperatures. We’ll do our part to reach this vision by reducing the environmental impact of NI’s operations and products, and in doing so, reduce our footprint and help our customers do the same. Each year through 2030, we’ll discount or donate NI products to organizations developing green technology, will design 100% of our new buildings or remodels to LEED and WELL standards, reduce our footprint, and make circular design improvements in our product design, manufacturing, and packaging. And by 2030, we will achieve Zero Waste at NI-owned buildings.
by Gary Mintchell | Apr 23, 2021 | News, Organizations
CESMII—The Smart Manufacturing Institute had a couple of news releases around Hannover Messe. In one, it announced a cooperation agreement with the German Plattform Industrie 4.0. The second announcement concerned Microsoft joining. CESMII CEO John Dyck has been busily building out the team, building partnerships, and establishing centers of excellence. I expect substantial progress from this US Dept. of Energy initiative.
The German Plattform Industrie 4.0 and the US Institute CESMII cooperate to shape the Future of Manufacturing.
Germany and the United States are among the top five manufacturing countries in the world. The two countries’ manufacturers share an interconnected network of facilities and suppliers, including many small and medium-sized enterprises.
Plattform Industrie 4.0 (Germany) and CESMII (US) are announcing their partnership to address similar challenges and needs related to Industrie 4.0 / Smart Manufacturing. For both manufacturing economies to compete, they need international collaboration to achieve major tasks like semantic interoperability, create data sharing platforms, develop workforce skills, and foster sustainable production.
Platform Industrie 4.0 promotes the development of Industrie 4.0 in Germany by developing precompetitive concepts, recommendations and use cases for practical application. CESMII promotes Smart Manufacturing in the US by supporting precompetitive research and development, providing tools and test bed for new technology as public-private partnerships, and creating content for educating a next generation of smart manufacturers.
“Production is globally connected, and manufacturers are in digital transformation worldwide. Whereas digitalization provides great potentials like higher resilience, flexibility, and efficiency, we need to shape digital ecosystems globally and learn together to unfold these potentials. We highly appreciate the ongoing working relationship with CESMII and are happy to have CESMII on stage of the Hannover Messe to jointly discuss the digitalization of industry”, says Thomas Hahn, member of the Steering Committee of Plattform Industrie 4.0.
As part of the cooperation, CESMII appeared on a Plattform Industrie 4.0 panel, “Shaping digital ecosystems globally,” at the Hannover Messe.
Technology standardization is critical to ensure that pre-competitive technology in smart manufacturing is interoperable across different IT/OT systems. Developing workforce competencies and skills is essential to continue the path of innovation and to drive adoption. These are highly complementary efforts that will help the US and Germany to ensure these systems work well based on common standards that are mutually beneficial.
CESMII – The Smart Manufacturing Institute, Adds Microsoft as Member
CESMII – The Smart Manufacturing Institute has added Microsoft as a member. From the press release, “Interoperability and innovation that can scale are essential for a more competitive and resilient manufacturing environment, and it’s a pleasure to welcome market leaders that embody these values to our Smart Manufacturing (SM) ecosystem. A relentless focus on these values is essential to achieving CESMII’s vision to accelerate the democratization of Smart Manufacturing.”
Microsoft brings their thought leadership, standards advocacy and enabling technologies to our members and our SM Innovation Centers and will engage with other industry leaders to participate in our Standing Committees, adding their insights to our Technology, Business Practices, and Education and Workforce Development efforts as we drive this ecosystem forward.
“This is a pivotal time for CESMII,” states John Dyck, CEO of CESMII. “We are making great progress on many fronts, addressing the real challenges preventing manufacturers from accelerating their Smart Manufacturing and digital transformation initiatives. Our focus on enabling manufacturing system interoperability will have a dramatic impact on our energy productivity, sustainability, and competitiveness as a nation. A big part of that is defining and enabling the adoption of industry standards that will significantly reduce the cost and complexity of deploying Smart Manufacturing solutions. We’re pleased to see Microsoft take this step with us, advocating for standards, for interoperability, and creating a community of thought leaders that can truly transform this industry.”
“We strongly believe in standards, as exhibited by our work with CESMII on key OPC Foundation initiatives, and we appreciate that CESMII is addressing some of the great challenges preventing the adoption of digital transformation at scale,” says Sam George, corporate vice president of Azure IoT at Microsoft. “The focus on interoperability, openness, and the crowd-sourcing of information models for manufacturing assets is an essential accelerator for our mutual vision to accelerate the democratization of Smart Manufacturing,” continues George. “We’re pleased to engage with CESMII and their ecosystem as an enabling force in this industry, working broadly to bring real transformation to this industry.”
by Gary Mintchell | Apr 22, 2021 | Data Management, Manufacturing IT, Operations Management
Most of my Hannover Messe conversations concerned software, and here was an interesting one. I talked with Eva Schönleitner, CEO of Crate.io, about this company’s solution and latest offering. There is an open source database upon which Crate.io builds managed services—a proven business model but perhaps unique in the industrial market.
The new announcement for Hannover concerns moving to the edge.
The fully managed edge database – built for harnessing the power of machine data at remote and offline locations – brings the scale, availability and management advantages of CrateDB to customers regardless of where their data is
Crate.io, developer and supplier of CrateDB, the purpose-built database optimized for machine data use cases, today announced the launch of CrateDB Edge. The new solution enables Crate.io customers to capture and analyze data at the data source, regardless of geographical location or whether there is cloud or internet accessibility. CrateDB Edge brings the capabilities of CrateDB Cloud – Crate.io’s managed database-as-a-service – to edge locations for the first time.
“CrateDB is an incredibly powerful database that is purpose-built for the unique characteristics and high-volume, high-scalability demands of machine data use cases,” says Bernd Dorn, CTO of Crate.io. “With the launch of CrateDB Edge, our database can be deployed, managed, and backed up through the same database management capabilities and functionalities that run within the cloud service. Data collection and edge analytics continue to be available, even when the internet connection gets interrupted. Deployments in remote locations can be managed centrally, including backup and replication. Many of our current customers require the flexibility to leverage CrateDB in hybrid scenarios, a mix of cloud and edge. CrateDB Edge is built exactly for these cases.”
Even as enterprises deploy database environments in the cloud, many – and particularly those with strict data security parameters or with distributed locations generating high-velocity data – require on-premises databases as part of a hybrid strategy. CrateDB Edge allows organizations to maintain full control over their infrastructure and still leverages CrateDB as an expertly managed service. Customers can choose to deploy a cluster in their own region and operate it entirely on their own infrastructure, whether that is AWS, Azure, or on physical servers at their facilities. Kubernetes is the interface hosting the CrateDB Edge clusters; customers are in control of data through their CrateDB Cloud web interface.
CrateDB Edge is built to deliver:
- Complete data ownership and privacy. CrateDB Edge is a perfect fit for organizations who require full ownership over their data and trust their CrateDB deployments managed, optimized, and scaled by Crate.io experts.
- Seamless integration with existing infrastructure. Whether running CrateDB in an enterprise’s own AWS or Azure account or through an on-prem data center, CrateDB Edge offers flexibility and does not require continuous internet connectivity for cluster operation.
- Real-time analytics on the edge. Deploying clusters locally allows analytics to be performed closer to the data source – significantly optimizing resources and response time. CrateDB Edge offers the same full functionality as CrateDB Cloud, making it simple and straightforward for developers to build applications that run on the edge and the cloud.
- Cross-cluster asynchronous sync. Configurable data synchronization features ensure that select portions of edge data can be automatically pushed into the cloud or even sync with other edge regions to enable all kinds of analytics aspects, including learning models in the cloud and operational machine analytics on the edge.
“We are excited about the benefits CrateDB Edge provides to customers; this is the next generation of database technologies that enable digitalization initiatives at scale,” says Eva Schönleitner, CEO of Crate.io. “For example, global industrial companies generating massive volumes of machine data in every plant can deploy a local cluster in each location. They get the freedom to utilize our CrateDB database on the edge and in the cloud, fully managed, backed up and synchronized – even for locations with inconsistent or intermittent internet connections. Combining these features with data ownership flexibility and Crate.io’s expertise managing and optimizing CrateDB for machine data, and we believe cloud-managed CrateDB Edge will be a very attractive solution for many organizations.”
Crate.io is the developer of CrateDB, a highly scalable distributed open source database solution that combines the performance of NoSQL with the power and simplicity of standard SQL. Designed specifically to support machine data applications and IIoT, CrateDB is optimized for time series and industrial data and runs in the cloud on Azure and Amazon as well as on the edge and on-premise. Crate.io was founded in June 2013 and operates from its locations in the United States, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, as well as remotely worldwide.
